Electronic fuses (e-fuses) can be employed as programmable elements in integrated circuit designs. In general, the programming of an e-fuse involves applying a substantially high voltage or current to open a fuse element (in alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) mode) within an integrated circuit. The programming of an e-fuse does not involve a physical rupture of the fuse element. E-fuse technology has become increasingly popular in semiconductor designs for yield improvement, circuit configuration, security activation and many other applications.
Current design trends are moving towards employing smaller feature sizes in circuit layouts. With such scaling, however, it becomes increasingly challenging to integrate e-fuse capabilities into the designs without losing efficiency or overall functionality of the e-fuse.
Therefore, scalable e-fuse designs and techniques for the fabrication thereof would be desirable.